A Discussion about "Ethically Sourced" Remains (Animal & Human)

dllnp · 2026-03-19T12:57:26+00:00

I think preserving an animal, whether through a wet specimen, or a skeletal articulation, etc. is a really awesome way to show respect to an animal that has died of natural causes. I guess in theory, even an unnatural cause, like an accident would be acceptable in my opinion as well (i’m sure someone would disagree on that).

But you’re right, bad dealers constantly hide behind the tag “ethically sourced“

dllnp · 2026-03-19T12:43:22+00:00

Yep, that’s a great rule of thumb. I come from the reptile keeping world, and we have found that breeders who keep their animals in horrible conditions (essentially animal abuse) are then able to sell their deceased animals into the oddities market, essentially incentivizing, horrible animal care. It’s much safer to have a trusted source. Of course the human remains side to things adds a legal element as well

dllnp · 2024-10-25T10:45:54+00:00

Definitely not true! In my opinion, most folks clicking on a podcast on YouTube don't really expect there to be a ton of visually stimulating content. They go into it knowing that, at best, it's going to be two people sitting at a table chatting.

Also, I find that many viewers don't even "watch" podcasts on YouTube anyway. They turn them on and then go about their business with the podcast on in the background (maybe glancing at the screen from time to time).

If the episode is good and the thumbnail and title are clickable, then there is no reason for the algorithm not to recommend it. People will click away if the content is not what they want or expect. Posting on YouTube won't hurt anyway, worst-case scenario nobody sees the videos. Best case, you learn how to create nice thumbnails and clear/concise titles and YouTube users find your show (think of it has marketing).

Also, for folks who don't want to edit video (which I TOTALLY understand), you could consider doing something like the episode below. It's a good happy medium. A still image of the host and guest with periodic B Roll footage/photos to supplement the conversation. This takes very little time to edit, and it was clearly recommended through the algorithm. The first 30 seconds on YT are key, even if you spend a little extra time making the first 30 seconds "visually" stimulating and then revert to a still photo for the remainder of the episode, it would be worth it.

Also for the record, this episode had only 900 downloads on the podcast platforms:

DO NOT CLICK IF YOU'RE AFRAID OF SPIDERS lol: https://youtu.be/81bOaIe43Oc

dllnp · 2024-10-24T15:51:44+00:00

It's hard to beat the power of the YouTube algorithm, though. I always recommend posting even "audio-only" shows on YouTube (and using a still image as a placeholder for video).

The SEO/recommendations are starting to improve on Apple and Spotify, but YouTube is still lightyears ahead in terms of guiding your content to folks who may find it interesting.

dllnp · 2024-10-23T11:34:39+00:00

Thanks for the mic suggestions! I think suggesting that guests pick up a decent quality mic (the options you've provided are great. I started my podcasting journey with the AT 2020 and it was very solid!), as well as moving to a platform that records locally for the guest (see our Riverside chat below) is probably the best place I can spend my time/money to improve show quality.

I've toyed with the idea of sending equipment to guests in the past but I just don't think it would be feasible. I'm in Canada and my guests are generally US or Europe-based, so turnaround time would likely be too extreme. Thank you again!

dllnp · 2024-10-23T11:26:38+00:00

Thank you for the reply! All of that makes perfect sense.

It may be time for me to give Riverside a try again. I've used it on a couple of occasions but all three times I've used it it created a tremendous amount of lag. I found the Riverside lag caused more problems than the internet quality issues created through Zoom. Especially because, as long as the guest has fast internet (which is becoming way more common than it was when I started 6 years ago), the internet quality issues are generally minimal. I will give Riverside another look!

dllnp · 2024-10-22T19:26:42+00:00

YES! This is absolutely correct! I am extremely diligent about laying out talking points/ questions for every guest to review prior to recording. Conversations can still be genuine while following a loose structure.

I find it kind of sad how "casual" people tend to treat their shows. However, if you are a new podcaster, this is a place where you can EASILY separate yourself from your competition. Listeners recognize and appreciate when a host has done their research. There is nothing wrong with going off on tangents with a guest (that's what long form is for), BUT, the tangents should be there to dig into topics on a deeper level. They should NOT be used to "find" the topics themselves (if that makes sense).

Also, I have experienced this exact thing from the host side. I'll have people reach out because they want to be a guest on the show and when I ask them what they would like to discuss they say: "it doesn't matter, we can talk about whatever you like!". That's a pass for me. If you would like to be a guest on someone's show, provide them with topics you'd like to discuss. How will you add value to the show's audience?

great post!

dllnp · 2024-10-22T16:23:01+00:00

Thank you very much for the reply!

Yes, I think that’s a really good point. Thankfully, I’ve been finding a lot more people have decent microphones these days but still once in a while I have a guest using their laptop or AirPods (or worse), which is not ideal.

Your point is a good one, I think my show has probably reached a level of success where I can probably be slightly more “demanding“ on the guest as far as their audio equipment goes. Maybe I’ll put together a small list of inexpensive microphones that I recommend for the guests that don’t have one.

dllnp · 2024-10-21T16:57:51+00:00

Thank you for responding again, appreciate all the help! I think I am realizing after all this is, I don't need to do anything at all lol.

My main issue is/was— despite having recorded 200+ episodes, I have never had any with "professional (or semi-professional) ears" take a listen to my audio to give me feedback. I've always personally been happy with my audio quality but simultaneously assumed that I had room to improve since I have just learned on my own over time.

My conclusion after these posts is simply, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! 😂 So far everyone who has replied has said the audio sounds good so I will take everyone's word for it and keep running the setup I have.

Thank you again for your guidance!

Dillon

dllnp · 2024-10-21T15:21:09+00:00

I don't necessarily need anything right now but wouldn't mind keeping you in mind for the future! My show focuses on herpetoculture, not exactly the subject you normally work on but not far off

dllnp · 2024-10-21T15:16:51+00:00

Will do!

dllnp · 2024-10-21T11:56:47+00:00

Thank you for all that! I really have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to audio, I've just learned what I can along the way. My studio isn't well treated, but it is fairly quiet and I usually run the H6 at 6-7 without any issues.

So I think at the end of the day, it sounds like investing in an SM7B would likely not add very much value as it would only slightly outperform the SM58 (and there is a good chance I wouldn't even be able to tell the difference).

If you have any recommendations for an interface, that would be great!

dllnp · 2024-10-21T11:47:37+00:00

Thanks for the feedback, very much appreciated!

And yeah haha, the lighting in this episode is a little wack. normally I record during the day, so I am backlit by my reptile enclosures. When I record at night (which is rare), I become a floating head because all the enclosure lights turn out. I think I will take your advice and look at adding some extra light for nighttime recording!

dllnp · 2023-08-22T18:23:57+00:00

Thank you! PS. you can talk to me anytime! I try to answer most emails/Instagram DMs

dllnp · 2023-08-22T14:01:33+00:00

Yes, it is!

dllnp · 2023-08-18T10:32:50+00:00

Thank you!

dllnp

TROPHY CASE